Bill "Bojangles" Robinson "HOT MIKADO" Cotton Club Parade 1939 Broadway Flyer

Description

This is a rare advertising handbill (flyer) promoting the night club appearance of BILL "Bojangles" ROBINSON in the "COTTON CLUB PARADE" following his performance in Original Broadway production of the CHARLES L. COOKE, DAVE GREGGORY and WILLIAM TRACY musical "THE HOT MIKADO" at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City. (The production opened March 23rd, 1939 and ran for 85 performances.) ..... The Cotton Club was a whites-only
establishment that moved in 1936 from 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue to midtown Manhattan that featured many of the most popular black entertainers of the era, including Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Chick Webb, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Fats Waller, Adelaide Hall, Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, Avon Long, the Dandridge Sisters, the Mills Brothers, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, the Nicholas Brothers and Charles "Honi" Coles .....
"THE HOT MIKADO" with
lyrics and music by Sir WILLIAM S. GILBERT and Sir ARTHUR SULLIVAN, was based on their comic opera "THE MIKADO", but with "modernized tempos". The musical starred BILL "Bojangles" ROBINSON as "The Mikado" and featured BOB PARRISH, JAMES A. LILLARD, EDDIE GREEN, MAURICE ELLIS, GWENDOLYN REYDE, FRANCES BROCK, ROSETTA LeNOIRE, FREDDIE ROBINSON, ROSE BROWN and BEN WAILES ..... CREDITS: Book and Lyrics by W. S. GILBERT; Music by ARTHUR SULLIVAN; Modern Adaptations and Orchestra Arrangements by CHARLES L. COOKE; Topical Lyrics by DAVE GREGGORY and WILLIAM TRACY; Sets and Costumes designed by NAT KARSON; Choreographed by TRULY McGEE; Entire Production Directed by HASSARD SHORT; Produced by MICHAEL TODD ..... DETAILS: Advertising handbills (heralds) were distributed or inserted into the playbills of other productions to help generate ticket sales for upcoming shows and events. This single page, one-sided handbill measures 7" X 10" inches and includes a photo of Bill Robinson in his "Hot Mikado" costume, a photo of Cab Calloway and an excerpt from Walter Winchell's review of the night club performance on the front. The backside is blank ..... CONDITION: With the exception of light creasing and a small spot on the backside, this rare handbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.